k, i'm posting this here as Sazerac suggested...
it's off the official wiz 8 boards, but i'm posting it here cuz these boards are better ; ) and you all might find it useful.

"I don't think this is exactly a spoiler, but if you'd rather not know, then stop reading, NOW! I'm not out to give away all the secrets, just trying to ease the confusion about this.
To become eligible to learn new higher level spells for your class, you have to meet 2 requirements: 1) minimum level in *THAT* class (not overall), and 2) minimum skill, for *THAT* spell's spellbook & realm.

To calculate your effective skill level for a given spell:
* Take your highest spellbook skill (Wizardry, Divinity, Psionics, Alchemy) that the spell in question appears in. Important for bishops or class-changed characters, since many spells appear in multiple books.
* Add 10% of your *natural* skill in that spell's realm. This doesn't include temporary skill bonuses such as those from iems.

It's not as complicated as it sounds. Example: A mage, a pure caster, must be level 5 AND have an effective skill of 30 to learn Fireball, a third level Fire realm Mage spell. If he has 30+ skill in Wizardry, he's all set. He could also qualify if he has, say 28 in Wizardry and 20+ in Fire skill (10% rule).

Hope this helps...

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Alex Meduna
Wizardry 8 Lead Gameplay Programmer/Designer "

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.<br />Just because you may be paranoid does not mean that they are not after you.

If you have a spell such as KNOCK KNOCK or DEVINE TRAP - cast it in the appropriate place - such as at a lock - at the lowest level possible and then exit the special screen. The spell won't work, but you should get an increase in that particular magic.

When you get into this complex you will notice 4 trees in the center of the room with 4 floating braziers nearby.
Buy incense from Fuzzfas and use one incense in each of the braziers and you will have no more encounters in the main room.

You don't need to create a rogue in your party. When you get to Arnika, which you will do early in the game, the first NPC you meet is a rogue and he will join you. There are only a few locked or trapped items in the Monastery, and they can be forced open with minor damage to the forcer.

For those just beginning (or even imports), get a bard! They make all the difference in the beginning of the game.

You can do without a rogue with a bard: they can learn lockpicking early on (not as fast as the rogue, but still...), level up very quickly, and they are invaluable to use the many instruments you come across in the game. In particular, the Piercing Pipes (found just west of the Monastery on the Arnika Road; casts unlimited Shrill Sound spells) and the Siren's Horn (found in the Graveyard Crypt just east of Trynton, casts unlimited Insanity) make the bard one of the most powerful PC's in the game. The impressive thing is that instruments always cast the spell at the highest level possible! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Bards are also very good at ranged weapons (bow and sling), which is a great must in this game.

Just to let you know, upon checking the stats of my characters, my mage and my bard have the greatest number of kills, with the fighter coming in a very close third behind the bard. So don't think a bard is useless like in Wizards & Warriors. I can assure you they aren't.

To add to what Ian said: there's also no reason to camp the full 8 hours. Watch your character's stats...as soon as they're up to full level, click the screen and "wake them up." Sometimes a 1-2 hour catnap (especially for the felpurrs [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img] ) is all your characters need.